During flight maneuvers such as braking or a descent (e.g., a rapid descent) of an aircraft, aerodynamic surfaces (e.g., control surfaces) such as spoilers or flaps of aerodynamic structures (e.g., wings, stabilizers, etc.) may experience significant loads due to airflow over the control surfaces during flight (e.g., Mach numbers of greater than 0.5, ascent or descent, braking, etc.) of the aircraft, thereby necessitating structural reinforcements. Further, effectiveness of flaps and/or spoilers on a wing of an aircraft, for example, may be reduced due to such loads acting on these structures.
In some aircraft, flaps encounter significant forces/stresses when the aircraft is maneuvering at higher speeds (e.g., Mach numbers of 0.5 or higher) or undergoing an emergency maneuver such as a rapid descent at Mach numbers greater than 0.9 (e.g., transonic speeds, near-sonic speeds, etc.). The significant forces encountered may necessitate significant structural reinforcements and/or additional structural components to counteract stresses caused by these forces, thereby adding significant weight to the aircraft and, thus, reducing overall fuel efficiency of the aircraft. Further, significant loading of flaps may reduce the overall effectiveness of the flaps and flap actuations, and, as a result, the high forces and/or loads encountered by the flaps may reduce the ability of the flaps to displace/angle and/or move at a sufficient rate for maneuvering.